This invention relates in general to unearthing buried mines, and more particularly, to plow or rake mechanisms for unearthing buried mines.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,920 B1 discloses an apparatus for clearing a minefield by sweeping aside the topsoil layer and collecting the mines that are uncovered. The minesweeper has a two-sided frame that is adapted to be pushed by a tractor. A rake is pivoted from each side of the frame by respective pairs of coupling bars of different lengths so that as the rake moves away from the frame to bury itself in the soil, the coupling bars rotate it to a less aggressive digging angle that prevents the rake from stalling the tractor. A sifting basket is disposed behind the rake and collects mines uncovered by the rake. A drawback to this equipment is that the sifting basket is often clogged by small amounts of vegetation and variances in soil conditions.